Artificial hand.



No. 809,797. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906. A. GROGAN.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

APPLICATION FILED mm: 29, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

Fig.7.

No. 809,797. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906. A. GROGAN.

ARTIFICIAL HAND. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wi-lrwewem.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AROHIBALD GROGAN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LIONEL HANBURY WEBBER, OF ONSLOW GARDENS, ENGLAND.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed June 29,1905. Serial No- 267,578.

To 1.0M 207110171, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD GRoeAN, gentleman, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 207 Piccadilly, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial H ands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in artificial hands; and its object is to provide a hand with a grasping actionwhich may be readily operated and may, if necessary, be maintained indefinitely without fatigue to the wearer.

In carrying out this invention the suitablyarticulated fingers and thumb of an artificial hand are grooved longitudinally on the under or palm side or alternatively are made hollow, and a flexible wire, fixed to the top section of each finger or thumb, is led down and retained in the groove therein or in the interior, as the case may be, the arrangement being such that upon the wires being drawn downward toward the wrist the fingers are flexed. Means, such as springs or the elastic glove hereinafter mentioned, are provided for returning the fingers to their normal position upon the tension of the wires being relaxed. The several wires are collected together at the wrist and there passed into a close-wound wire sheath 0r helix, whose ends are suitably prevented from moving. Instead of all the Wires being passed into the helix they may be attached to a single thicker wire. The wire and helix are carried up the arm to a flexible band encircling the chest of the wearer immediately under the arms and is retained in position by straps passing over the shoulders. The ends of the band are so connected together that dilatation of the chest increases the circumference of the band and separates two lugs on the ends thereof. The sheath or helix is attached to one of these lugs, while the core passes through it and is fixed to the second lug. Thus separation of the lugs draws the internal wire or wires through the helix and contracts the fingers. Means may be provided in the Wrist for locking the wires when required, and thus retaining the fingers in a contracted position indefinitely.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the palm side of such a hand. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View of the chest-band,

and Fig. 4: illustrates the complete invention fitted to the person.

The appliance illustrated is for use in a case where the arm has been amputated below the elbow, but it is evident that it may easily be combined with an artificial arm.

1 is the usual leather bucket, to which the hand proper, 2, may be detachably secured, as usual. Each finger may have two joints, one, 3, at the base and the other, 4, in the middle, the top sections of the fingers being preferably slightly curved. The thumb may be only jointed at the base. Wires 5 are suitably fixed to the top sections of the fingers, or in the case of the thumb above the joint, and are passed down through holes 6 in the fingers and palm to an aperture 7, where they are collected and fastened to a rod 8, which normally slides freely through a guide 9, but may be clamped therein by such means as the setscrew 10, or in place of the screw a pivoted pawl might be employed. Guide-rollers 11 for the wires are fitted where required. To the other end of the rod 8 is fastened the Wire 12, the sheath 13 of which abuts on a plate 14:. It will be observed that the thumb moves substantially at right angles to the fingers, the object being to enable small objects to be grasped between the thumb and the first finger. To return the fingers to their extended position, they may be provided at the back with wires 15 and springs 16; but it is preferable to employ for this purpose a thick rubber glove fastened securely around the wrist.

A further use of such a glove is to give the proper contour to the hand.

In order to allow for unequal movements of the fingers when objects of irregular shape are being grasped, extensible springs 17 may be fitted to some or all of the finger-wires. In practice it is usually found suiiicient to apply such springs to the third and fourth fingers only.

18 and 19 are the two ends of the chest-band, to which are fixed lugs 20 21. A thin tongue 22 may project from one lug and pass between the other lug and the strap end. An indiarubber band 23, attached to the strap ends, serves to restore the chest-bandto its normal contracted state after being extended. The end of the sheath 13 abuts against the lug 20, while the wire 12 is carried through a hole therein and fastened to the other lug2l in such a manner that it may be detached in order to facilitatethe fitting of the band to the person. According to the arrangement illustrated asmall nut is threaded loosely on the core 12 and retained thereon by a knot or the like. The Wire is passed through a slot 26 in the side of the lug, and the nut 24 is then screwed into a tapped central hole therein.

In Fig. 4c is shown a convenient arrangement for fixing the hand to the person. The bucket 1 is attached by straps 27 to a band 28 on the upper arm, which band is secured by straps 29 to a shoulder-pad 30, Which in turn is fastened by a body-strap 31. 32 represents shoulder-straps securing the chest-band. In casethe wearer is unable to expand the chest sufliciently to produce the required contraction of the fingers with the direct-acting arrangement described, use may be made of a device for multiplying the relative movement of the lugs. It will be understood that the sheath or helix 13 is flexible, but is not expansible, while the wire 12 is free to move endwise freely in the sheath.

What I claim is 1. The combination with an artificial hand having articulated fingers, of flexible wires attached to the top joints of the fingers, means actuated by the expansion of the chest for pulling the Wires, and coils formed in the length of the wires.

2. The combination with an artificial hand having articulated fingers, of an expansible band surrounding the chest, and connections between the band and the fingers.

8. The combination with an artificial hand having articulated fingers, of an expansible band surrounding the chest, acore connected to one end of the band, a closely-coiled helix surrounding the core, and connections between the core and the fingers.

4. The combination with an artificial hand having articulated fingers, of an expansible band surrounding the chest, a core connected to one end of the band, a closely-coiled helix surrounding the core, and spring connections between the core and the fingers.

5. The combination with an artificial hand having articulated fingers, of means actuated by the expansion of the chest for flexing the fingers, and means for clamping the fingers in the flexed position.

ARCHIBALD GROGAN.

Witnesses:

LIONEL HANBURY WEBBER, H. D. JAMEsoN. 

